Apparatus for the finishing of synthetic filamentary material



P. J. TERRA Aug. 4, 1964 APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING OF SYNTHETIC FILAMENTARY MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I rventor PI'u-re, In T:

Filed Feb. 6, 1962 P. J. TERI'QA Aug. 4, 1964 APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING OF SYNTHETIC FILAMENTARY MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 6, 1962 lnvenlor e r r L eJeam A tlomey;

B v M124.

Filed Feb. 6, 1962 P. J. TERRA APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING OF SYNTHETIC FILAMENTARY MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l z :2 i 2 Q 5 40 Q g 3 2 %Z 9 I7 I 5 Q -/a i -/.9 E 22 l 5 19; 5 Q ZI 20 27 Inventor pier-re Izqn Err-a A tlorney;

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR THE FINISHING OF SYNTHETIC FILAMENTARY MATERIAL Pierre Jean Terra, Lyon, France, assignor to Soclete Rhodiaceta, Paris, France, a French body corporate Filed Feb. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 171,485 Claims priority, application France Mar. 15, 1961 Claims. (Cl. 57-34) This invention relates to an apparatus for the finishing of artificial and synthetic filamentary products, by which term it is intended to include all forms of filamentary material base on man-made filaments. Accordingly the term includes artificial materials obtained from natural substances such as cellulose, and the purely synthetic materials such as nylon, and includes filaments, yarns, threads and similar products.

In French Patent No. 1,224,347 there is described a machine for successively and continuously applying to synthetic filamentary products first a twist and then a heat treatment.

In the machine there described the arrangement is that the filamentary product passes from a twisting spindle upwards through a tube, in which it is heated, and then onto a winding spindle located above the heating tube. This machine is however not very satisfactory in practice as it has important limitations. Thus in the first place since a heating tube is located vertically above each twisting device the spacing of the heating tubes is necessarily related to the spacing of the twisting devices, i.e. the tubes for the application of heat are widely spaced. Secondly the vertical arrangement means that the winding up device is at a very inconvenient height. An attempt to avoid this by shortening the heating tubes, and thereby reduce the overall height of the machine, may merely result in a necessity to reduce the speed of travel of the material through the tubes and accordingly slow down the machine.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine for successively and continuously effecting first the twisting of the threads and then a heat treatment, possibly accompanied by shrinkage, which machine may be constructed in more compact form than the machine just referred to and which avoids the difiiculties just referred to.

According to the present invention there is provided a machine for twisting and thereafter heating filamentary materials which comprises a frame, at least one bank of twisting devices located on one face of the frame, means for leading filamentary material twisted by such device over the frame to the opposite face thereof, means for heating the filamentary material located on said opposite face, means for leading the filamentary material through such heating means in a downward direction, and a winding device for the filamentary material issuing from the said heating means.

In a machine as thus constructed one of the faces of the machine is used solely to accommodate the twisting device or devices. Thus twisting spindles can be located in several banks, for example two or three banks, so that the bulk constituted by the bobbins and the balloons can be so arranged that the spaces between the twisted filamentary materials collected at the top of this face are relatively small. These spaces can be further narrowed for the passage of the individual twisted filamentary materials into the heat treatment device, which is situated on the other face, if means for conveying the materials from one face to the other are arranged in such a manner that this conveyance is effected obliquely.

The winding of the materials after the heat treatment can be effected on one or more banks of bobbins at different levels.

By constructing the machine in this manner it is pos- 3,142,95 l Patented Aug. 4., 1964 sible to use tubes of heights varying from 60 to 160 cm., and consequently to accelerate the speed of travel of the filamentary material for the same duration of heat treatment.

The winding-up bobbins may be on the same face as the heat treatment device, but located below that device or, particularly where it is desired to use a heat-treatment of very considerable useful height, possible greater than 160 cm., the winding bobbins may be situated in a central gang-way between two faces of the frame or may be located on the same face as the twisting spindles but below them.

Particular forms of machine according to the present invention are illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a machine according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line a-a' of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of an alternative machine construction according to the invention,

FIGURE 4 is a view half in plan (lower part of the figure), and half in horizontal section on the line bb of FIGURE 3 (upper part of the figure),

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modification of the machine described in FIGURES 1 and 2.

These drawings will now be described with reference to specific examples of the use of the machines:

Example I This example refers to the machine of FIGURES 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

Synthetic threads 1 which are hot-stretched to 5 times their initial length in known manner are twisted to 150 twists per metre on the twisting device 2 located on one face of the frame 22. The threads are then taken by the rollers 3, 3 and conducted through the heating tubes 4 which are heated electrically and are surrounded by a heatinsulating material 5.

The tubes are curved and are cm. in length.

The heating of the tubes is regulated so as to have a temperature of 230 in their interior. When the threads issue from the bottom of these tubes they are wound on the bobbins 6.

The threads enter the tubes at the speed of 100 metres per minute and are carried onto the bobbin 6 at a speed of 80 metres per minute so that they are shrunk by 20%.

The total height of the machine is such that a worker can carry out all the operations without difiiculty.

Example II This example refers to the machine of FIGURES 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

Synthetic threads 7 which are hot-stretched in known manner are twisted to the amount of twists per metre on the twisting device 8 located on one outer face 23 of an open frame 25. They are then taken by the rollers 9 and 9 across the top of the frame and conducted downwardly 10 located on the diameter of 3 mm. and a height of 1.60 m. and are surrounded by heat-insulating material 12.

The threads are conducted by the rollers 13 and 13' on to Winding bobbins 14 situated in the central gangway of the open frame and mounted on the inner face 26 of the frame.

The ratio of the winding speed to the twisting speed is such that during the heat treatment at 232 C. the threads are shrunk by 18%.

The machine can be attended to by a single operator moving about in the central gangway of the frame.

Example III This example refers to FIGURE 5 of the accompanying drawings.

Synthetic threads 15, after being stretched in known manner, are twisted on the twisting device 16, taken up by the rollers 17 and 17 and pass downwardly through the heating tubes 18 of the device 19.

The threads are treated at a temperature of 230" C., without shrinkage, and are taken up at the bottom of the tubes 18 by a roller 20, and fed, via an aperture 27 in the frame 22 onto bobbins 21 situated on the lower portion of the face of the machine where the twisting spindles are, and below these twisting spindles.

This machine is very useful, not only because of its small bulk but also because, despite its low overall height it permits the use of fairly high heating tubes.

I claim:

1. A machine for twisting and thereafter heating filamentary materials, comprising a frame carrying on one face at least one bank of twisting devices, guide means for leading the threads from each of the twisting devices individually over the top of the frame to the opposite face thereof, a bank of heating means located on said opposite face at narrow spacings less than the spacings of the twisting devices, each of the heating means extending for at least a major part of the height of the frame and providing a hot zone at a temperature to effect a heat treatment of the material, means for leading the threads downwardly through the hot zones of said heating means, and winding devices located on the frame for winding the threads individually.

2. A machine for twisting and thereafter heating filamentary materials, comprising a frame mounted to afford access to both faces, carrying on one face a plurality of superposed banks of tip-twisting devices, guide means for leading the threads from each of the twisting devices individually over the top of the frame to the opposite face thereof, a bank of substantially vertical heating tubes located on said opposite face at narrow spacings less than the spacings of the twisting devices, each tube extending for at least a major part of the height of the frame and providing in the tube a temperature to effect a heat treatment of the material, means for leading the threads downwardly through the heating tubes, one thread to each tube, and a plurality of banks of winding devices located on the frame for winding the threads individually.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the winding devices are located on the same face as and under the heating devices.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the frame is of open construction and has a central gangway be tween its two faces, the winding devices being located in said gangway.

5. A machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the winding devices are located on the same face as and underneath the twisting devices.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,089,229 Taylor et al Aug. 10, 1937 2,509,741 Miles May 30, 1950 2,803,109 Stoddard et al. Aug. 20, 1957 3,053,039 Demmel Sept. 11, 1962 3,059,408 Hippe et al. Oct. 23, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 542,045 France May 11, 1922 1,163,643 France Apr. 28, 1958 357,606 Great Britain Sept. 28, 1931 365,279 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1932 524,151 Italy Apr. 20, 1955 

1. A MACHINE FOR TWISTING AND THEREAFTER HEATING FILAMENTARY MATERIALS, COMPRISING A FRAME CARRYING ON ONE FACE AT LEAST ONE BANK OF TWISTING DEVICES, GUIDE MEANS FOR LEADING THE THREADS FROM EACH OF THE TWISTING DEVICES INDIVIDUALLY OVER THE TOP OF THE FRAME TO THE OPPOSITE FACE THEREOF, A BANK OF HEATING MEANS LOCATED ON SAID OPPOSITE FACE AT NARROW SPACINGS LESS THAN THE SPACINGS OF THE TWISTING DEVICES, EACH OF THE HEATING MEANS EXTENDING FOR AT LEAST A MAJOR PART OF THE HEIGHT OF THE FRAME AND PROVIDING A HOT ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE TO EFFECT A HEAT TREATMENT OF THE MATERIAL, MEANS FOR LEADING THE THREADS DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE HOT ZONES OF SAID HEATING MEANS, AND WINDING DEVICES LOCATED ON THE FRAME FOR WINDING THE THREADS INDIVIDUALLY. 